Intensive Care Med

DOI 10.1007/s00134-015-3701-9

Marc Leone
Sharon Einav

WHATS NEW IN INTENSIVE CA RE

Severe preeclampsia: whats new in intensive

care?

Received: 12 January 2015

Accepted: 13 February 2015

for pregnancy-related hypertensive complications are increasingly more ill [4].

Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and ESICM 2015

Diagnosis, causes and epidemiology

M. Leone ())
Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine,
Hopital Nord, Assistance Publique Hopitaux de Marseille, Aix
Marseille University, Chemin des Bourrely, 13015 Marseille,
France
e-mail: marc.leone@ap-hm.fr
Tel.: ?33491968655
S. Einav
Intensive Care Unit, Shaare Zedek Medical Center and Hebrew
University School of Medicine, Jerusalem, Israel

Introduction
In 2013, the British period drama television series
Downton Abbey portrayed the death of Lady Sybil
Branson from postpartum eclampsia, raising public
awareness to signs of preeclampsia and instigating debate
regarding the potentially lethal outcome of hypertensive
disease of pregnancy. Obstetrical complications constitute
0.15 % of hospital deliveries and 1.84 % of intensive care
unit (ICU) admissions. Peripartum hemorrhage, the most
prevalent cause of maternal death, has a 55 % causespecific mortality [1]. Early identification of hemorrhage,
definitive surgery, transcatheter arterial embolization and
correction of coagulopathy are the mainstays of treatment.
Hypertensive diseases constitute the second most prevalent cause of maternal death worldwide [2], and are
responsible for 3666 % of ICU admissions and 10 % of
maternal deaths in Europe [3]. Women admitted to ICU

The four hypertensive disorders of pregnancy include preexisting (chronic) hypertension, gestational hypertension,
preeclampsia and eclampsia (Table 1). Diagnosis requires
two separate measurements of a systolic blood pressure
C140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure
C90 mmHg in the same arm [5]. Preeclampsia is confirmed when [300 mg protein is also detected in 24 h
urine collection. Preeclampsia is reported in 28 % of
pregnancies. It is associated with an eight-times higher
frequency of maternal near-miss than in pregnancies
without this condition [6]. Malignant hypertension is defined when maternal hypertension is associated with
ischemic organ damage [7].
Preeclampsia has been associated with several cardiovascular diseases. Current knowledge establishes the
presence of shared risk factors rather than a causative relationship. Preeclampsia is attributable to a disparity
between uteroplacental supply and fetal demands, leading
to both maternal and fetal systemic manifestations of inflammation. Severe preeclampsia, defined as preeclampsia
accompanied by at least one severe complication, is responsible for 38 % of maternal deaths among obstetrical
ICU admissions [3].
HELLP syndrome and thrombotic thrombocytopenic
purpura (TTP) are often confounded with preeclampsia.
The hallmarks of HELLP are microangiopathic hemolysis
(schistocytes in peripheral blood smear and elevated
indirect plasma bilirubin), elevated liver enzymes and a
platelet count below 100,000 mm3. Conversely, HELLP
syndrome may be accompanied by only mild elevations in
blood pressure. Up to 20 % of the cases have no

MgSO4 blocks neuromuscular transmission, thereby

decreasing acetylcholine release and preventing convulDefinitions
sions. The recommended anticonvulsant dose is an
intravenous loading dose of 4 g followed by maintenance
12 g/h. Steady state is usually achieved within 34 h in
Systolic blood pressure C140 mmHg or
diastolic blood pressure C90 mmHg
pregnancy. Caution is advised in the presence of renal
observed on at least 2 occasions C4 h apart, impairment since 90 % of the MgSO dose is excreted in
4
but \7 days apart
the urine within 24 h. Antenatal corticosteroids should be
Hypertension that was present either preconsidered for preeclampsia presenting at B34 weeks
pregnancy or that develops at \20 weeks
gestation
gestation or if delivery is expected within 7 days [5]. The
Hypertension that develops for the first time at risk of increasing maternal resistance to antihypertensive
[20 weeks gestation
therapy should be balanced against the probability of
Gestational hypertension and one or more of
respiratory disease of the newborn.
the following:

Table 1 The four hypertensive disorders of pregnancy

Type of
hypertension
Hypertension

Pre-existing
hypertension
Gestational
hypertension
Preeclampsia

Eclampsia

New proteinuria, or
One/more adverse condition(s) or
One/more severe complication(s)
Severe preeclampsia: preeclampsia with one or
Cardiovascular and fluid management
more severe complications
New onset of grand mal seizure activity and/or
unexplained coma during pregnancy, intraGestational age, stage of labor, disease severity, conpartum or in the early post-partum period
comitant comorbidities and medications may all affect the

proteinuria [8]. Recent literature suggests there may be a

genetic predilection for the syndrome [9]. Acquired TTP,
at times triggered by pregnancy, corresponds to disseminated microvascular thrombosis leading to ischemic
organ damage and failure [10]. Malignant complications
of TTP are prevented with early initiation of plasmapheresis and/or delivery.

Evidence-based management
Interventions reducing maternal mortality from hypertensive diseases of pregnancy include routine calcium
supplementation, antiplatelet agents in women at risk of
preeclampsia, magnesium sulphate (MgSO4) for treatment of preeclampsia and eclampsia, antihypertensive
drugs for the treatment of mild to moderate hypertension
[11] and adherence to established guidelines [12]. Despite
measurable reductions in the rate of suboptimal care,
inadequate management is still reported in 70 % of maternal deaths due to hypertensive disorders, and 50 % of
these are avoidable [3]. Prevention of systolic hypertension and bridging support for failing organs are treatment
priorities. Systolic arterial hypertension is the most important predictor of stroke in preeclampsia. First line
therapy is either intravenous labetalol and oral nifedipine
or intravenous nicardipine. High dose diazoxide and
sodium nitropusside are recommended for refractory hypertension in the ICU [5]. Hydralazine is no longer
considered first line treatment and MgSO4 should not be
used as an antihypertensive [5].

hemodynamic condition of the pregnant woman with

preeclampsia. Most women will present with high peripheral vascular resistance and a low cardiac index [13].
Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction with preserved
ejection fraction and left ventricular hypertrophy are also
often observed. Cardiac ultrasound discriminates heart
failure with preserved ejection fraction from peripartum
cardiomyopathy with reduced ejection fraction. Maternal
mortality is strongly associated with pulmonary hypertensive crises and refractory right heart failure [14], thus
fluids should be administered with caution. Pulmonary
edema occurs in up to 0.5 % of preeclamptic women [13].
Acute renal failure occurs in *1 % of women with
severe preeclampsia. Urine output does not mirror variations in stroke volume in this population because both
substantial increases in sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity and/or secondary organic renal injury may be
present. Oliguria should prompt assessment of cardiac
function and volume status in order to differentiate between prerenal and renal causes. In future, one can expect
that biomarkers of kidney injury will facilitate an earlier
diagnosis [15].
Fluids should be administered only after prerenal
azotemia has been established, since only half of the
women with severe preeclampsia and oliguria will respond to fluids [16]. Pulse pressure variation and
respiratory variation of inferior vena cava diameter do not
predict fluid responsiveness [16]. However, a [12 % increase in the velocity time integral of subaortic blood flow
during passive leg raising does predict fluid responsiveness [16], and the presence of B-lines in lung ultrasound
correlates with echocardigraphic findings of heart failure
and may suggest pulmonary fluid overload in this patient
population [17].

Management of delivery
Women with preeclampsia can be expectantly managed
up to a gestational age of 34 weeks but should be delivered at term [5]. Manifestations of organ failure should
prompt delivery regardless of gestational age. Vaginal
delivery is acceptable and cervical ripening should be
undertaken if conditions are unfavorable [5]. The third
stage of labor should be actively managed with oxytocin
[5]. Early insertion of an epidural catheter is recommended for labor pain control if there is no
contraindication to neuraxial anesthesia [5]. As they are at
increased risk for difficult airway management, spinal
anesthesia is recommended for cesarean delivery. The
decrease in blood pressure induced by spinal anesthesia in
preeclamptic parturients is less severe than that observed
in healthy parturients [18]. Reversal of the effects of
neuraxial anesthesia may be accompanied by decreased
stroke volume and cardiac output. If general anesthesia is

required, remifentanil at 1.34 lg/kg attenuates the hypertensive response to tracheal intubation [19].

Summary
Preeclampsia remains an important cause of avoidable
maternal morbidity and mortality. Publication of guidelines and monitoring adherence to life-saving therapies
should be prioritized. Prediction of fluid responsiveness
requires individual hemodynamic investigation. Future
studies are required to determine the optimal early
warning system and monitoring tools for providing early
and non-invasive hemodynamic assessment.
Conflicts of interest The authors have no conflict of interest to
disclose in relation with this topic.

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